There was a movie shown at the apartments today. “Mrs.Brown”. It stared Judi Dench and Billy Connolly. I’ve no idea of the historical accuracy, but it was a pleasant way to spend an afternoon. Though I was very thankful to return home and remover my mask.
CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY
Come on, now, stay in line and be quiet as mice. Hee hee! My teacher al’ays says that when we go ta lunch. We gotta go down stairs from my bedroom. Down them creaky stairs an’ through the kitchen. Still smells like pancakes and syrup and coffee. Momma makes what she calls cowboy coffee like grandpa always made. I didn’t know he was a cowboy. I wonder where his horse and guns are?
Right through here is the back porch. It’s kinda like a room. It’s plenty long but not very wide an’ the floor’s not all nice like other rooms. It’s got bunches of windows an’ a screen door with a spring that makes a crazy noise when ya open it. I like that noise, but Mama doesn’t. She tells me to go out or come in and stop fanning’ the door.
See all them boxes on legs? Them’s iceboxes. Momma said, when she was little, a guy with a horse and wagon would bring big chunks of ice that went in the top to keep stuff cold. Where that door is it’s kinda like a ‘ferigerator. Momma still calls the ”ferigerator an icebox. Ya know, I got a wagon but I don’t need no horse to pull it. I can do it all by myself. Kinda wish a had a horse though. Maybe I could get grandpa’s horse back.
Ya wanna see what’s in them iceboxes? Look! It’s honeycombs full a honey. We can have some. Momma don’t care. I like to chew the wax after the honey’s gone. The honey is from grandpa’s bees. He showed me how to pick up a bee an’ not get stung. Be sure to lick yer fingers or they’ll get real sticky.
Come on outside. See! I told you that rusty old spring makes a neat sound. Don’t let the door slam shut. It makes grandpa jump.
See this neat hill in the backyard? We can play King Of The Hill later, if ya wanna. But. If you’ll help me open this door, it’s real heavy, we can go down in the cave. Look at all the food on the shelves. We all come down here sometimes when a bad storm’s comin’.
You know what? I seen a couple a tornadoes before. That was really neat. The sky got all funny an’ green lookin’. Momma took grandpa down in the cellar. Then me and her laid down on the hill and watched the clouds. One cloud started growing a white tail. That’s when we went down too. Momma made a fire in a kerosene lamp and then closed the door and locked it shut with that board over there.
We were down there a way long time. I went to sleep on her lap ’cause it was real boring. When we came back up, everything looked the same ‘cept the sky weren’t green no more. Momma said the tornado must notta touched down.
We better go up too. Help me close the door. Watch yer fingers an’ don’t let it drop.
What do ya wanna see next? The clubhouse, the fuel oil tank, great grandma’s house, the garden, or maybe we could climb a tree.
TO BE CONTINUED
Today is Lyn Wilkinson’ birthday. I called and we talked for the better part of an hour. After being friends for fifty six years, once or twice a year you just need to get caught up.
Tom and Ella Journal 